eSIM frequently asked questions

Most phones launched from 2018 onwards do. Quick check:

• iPhone XS, XR, 11 and later — including iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd gen.
• Pixel 3a and later — every Pixel from 2019 onwards.
• Samsung Galaxy S20+ and later, Note 20 and later, most A50+ from 2021, all Z Flip / Z Fold.
• Many recent Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, Huawei, Honor models. Varies by region — phones sold in China typically lack eSIM even if the same model elsewhere has it.

To verify on the actual phone: open Settings → Cellular (iOS) or Settings → Network & internet → SIMs (Android). If you see an "Add eSIM" or "Download a SIM instead?" option, you're set.

No. The Cliqtel eSIM sits alongside your existing SIM in dual-SIM mode. Your home number keeps receiving calls and SMS; WhatsApp / iMessage stay on your home number; only the data lane changes when you're abroad.

If you have an older phone that only supports one active SIM at a time, you can still install the Cliqtel eSIM — you just toggle which line is active in Settings.

Phones older than iPhone XS / Pixel 3a don't have an eSIM slot. There's no software workaround — the hardware isn't there. For older devices, a physical travel SIM is the only option, which we don't sell.

Phones bought outright are usually unlocked. Carrier-financed phones (especially in the US) are typically locked to the original carrier's network for 12 months. A locked phone will install the eSIM successfully but won't connect when you land.

To check: contact the original carrier and ask "Is this phone unlocked?", or look in Settings → About for a SIM-lock status entry.

iPad (cellular models), some Surface laptops, and the newest MacBooks support eSIM and can install ours, but the data plan is sized for phone usage — running a laptop tether through it will eat the bundle quickly. Smartwatches (Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch) use a different "companion eSIM" mechanism tied to your phone's number and won't work with our travel data plans.

Our travel eSIMs are data only. Use the local data to make calls over WhatsApp, FaceTime, Teams, Signal, or any voice-over-IP app. Your home SIM stays active in parallel and handles regular calls and SMS to your normal number.

The install completes immediately, but the validity window doesn't start ticking until the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination. So you can install at home before you fly, and the 30-day clock (or whatever duration you bought) only starts when you actually land and the eSIM picks up its first local signal.

On iPhone: Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data → pick the Cliqtel line.

On Pixel: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Preferred SIM for → Mobile data.

On Samsung: Settings → Connections → SIM card manager → Mobile data → pick the Cliqtel line.

Your phone keeps your home line for calls and SMS unless you also change those preferences. See the install guide's "After install" section for details.

Not on the data lane while the Cliqtel eSIM is the active data source — your home network sees that line as idle. Your home SIM might still send/receive SMS in the background (e.g. bank 2FA), and depending on your home plan some networks charge for inbound SMS while roaming. Turn off "Data Roaming" on your home line specifically to be safe.

Whichever local operator has the strongest signal in your location. Each country has multiple compatible operators on the network we partner with — the phone selects automatically, same way roaming has always worked. The local operator's logo may show up briefly in your status bar; that's normal.

Yes. The price you see at checkout is the price charged to your card, all in euros. Your card issuer may still apply a non-Euro account FX fee depending on your bank — that's between you and your bank, but the merchant-side amount is the euro number exactly.

Every purchase generates a proper VAT invoice in your portal — company name, KVK number (if you've added one to your account), EUR line items, all reverse-charge-compliant for B2B EU customers. Reimburse the trip, expense the data, claim VAT back if you're eligible. Receipts arrive by email too.

Sign in at My Numbers → Travel data for the live list of eSIMs (active + expired), or My Numbers → Invoices for the PDF invoices.

For agencies or sales teams equipping a fleet with travel data, contact sales@cliqtel.com. We can pre-fund a shared wallet and dispatch install links to a list of addresses in one go.

Data simply stops. No throttle, no auto-charge. Your eSIM stays installed and the validity window keeps running — you can buy a new plan from the portal and the same eSIM picks up the fresh data without re-installing.

Same — data stops cleanly. The eSIM remains installed on your phone; you can either delete it or leave it dormant for your next trip and just buy a fresh plan when you need data again.

Yes. From your phone (or any device with a browser): sign in to your account, open the My Numbers → Travel data tab, buy an additional plan for the same destination, and the new data adds to the same eSIM. No need to install a second profile.

Yes. We email you at the address you bought with when you cross 80% used, with a one-click link to top up. We deliberately don't alert at 50% — customers actively using their plan don't want a notification halfway through.

Open the Cliqtel portal at My Numbers → Travel data. Each active eSIM shows a usage bar with GB used / remaining and days left in the validity window. Usage data is updated by our mobile-network partners in near-real-time.

Two refund paths:

• You changed your mind — within 24 hours of purchase, before the eSIM has connected to any network, one-click refund from the portal. Full amount returned to your card or wallet, no questions.
• The eSIM failed to provision — if our system can't issue a working profile for any reason, your wallet is automatically credited the full amount without you having to ask. You'll receive an email explaining what happened.

No — once the eSIM has connected to a local network and started consuming data, the plan is non-refundable. This matches industry-standard policy across all major travel-eSIM providers.

If the order is still within the 24-hour window and hasn't been activated, open My Numbers → Travel data, click the eSIM, then "Request refund". For anything outside that window (or to dispute a failed-activation case the auto-refund missed), email support@cliqtel.com with your order number.

The minimum needed to issue and operate the eSIM: an internal order reference, the eSIM identifier (ICCID), and the destination country. We do NOT forward your email address, phone number, or payment details to the mobile-network partner — activation emails and receipts are sent only by Cliqtel.

Full categorical breakdown is in our privacy policy. A named sub-processor list is available on request for customers with a signed DPA.

Cliqtel's account, billing, and order systems are hosted in the EU/EEA. Network-side data routing happens in the country you're travelling to, on the local operator's infrastructure (same as any other roaming or local SIM). Sub-processors outside the EEA operate under EC-approved Standard Contractual Clauses — see the International Transfers section of our privacy policy.

Yes — you can request deletion at any time via privacy@cliqtel.com or the Data Export / Delete feature in your account settings. For active eSIMs the underlying network profile is also de-provisioned. For tax-compliance reasons we retain invoice records for up to 7 years per Dutch law, but they're severed from your account identity on request.